BU partners with National Grid to reduce energy use, cost

Boston University has partnered with National Grid, an international electric and gas company, to cut down on energy use and save the university money, according to a Tuesday press release from National Grid.

A three-year Strategic Energy Management Plan will help the university lower natural gas consumption by 218,000 therms of natural gas burned per year, which equates to a 5 percent reduction and $750,000 in overall savings for the university, the release stated.

“It really allows us to ramp up our game and make a bigger impact more quickly because obviously energy projects cost money, and the partnership helps us with financial incentives … It’s very exciting because now we can move forward more effectively to reduce our energy consumption and our green house gas emissions,” said Dennis Carlberg, the sustainability director at Sustainability@BU.

Over the next three years, National Grid incentives will help Sustainability@BU team implement energy conservation measures in 74 brownstone residences on campus, the release stated.

Jake Navarro, a spokesman for National Grid, said the partnership shows BU’s commitment to save a certain amount of energy over a period of time.

“Essentially, what we’ll do is provide our insight and our energy efficiency. Folks will provide their expertise, but we help the school acquire more energy efficient equipment,” he said.

The agreement was signed Tuesday at 100 Bay State Road, a former project with the National Grid, the release stated.

“The National Grid incentivized and reduced the cost of energy efficient hoods that are used over at the stove tops,” Navarro said. “The equipment that we’ve helped out with in the kitchens at the 100 Bay State Road facility have already, over the last two years, helped reduce the footprint by over 100,000 therms of natural gas.”

Carlberg said he hopes the project will have a “big impact.”

“This is really good news,” he said. “We can put more effort now on energy efficiency. This is something we’ve been ramping up for a while. Now this continues to allow us to move forward.”

Navarro said National Grid’s partnership with BU is an important step in making the whole New England region more energy efficient.

“We have some of the most expensive electricity costs in the country in New England,” he said. “We believe, as we should, [in increasing] the amount of renewable energy that we’re providing, but we also need to find a way to reduce the cost of energy for the economic well-being of the region. Energy efficiency is really at the heart of that issue.”

Several students said they appreciate what BU has been doing to help reduce energy usage on campus.

Nayan Sanjiv, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the partnership only adds to the multiple efforts to waste less on campus.

“They have recycling on every floor, and all the dining halls have indicators of how much water is used every day. Everyone’s aware of what’s going on,” he said. “That’s good. Awareness is the best.”

Colleen Karp, a sophomore in CAS, said the partnership with National Grid exemplifies BU’s leadership and focus on sustainability.

“Sustainability is very important at BU because a university of this size uses a significant amount of energy and can potentially have a large negative impact on the environment,” she said. “As a leading research institution, BU should always be looking to set an example by developing new ways to reduce our carbon footprint, and this partnership is vital to that goal.”

Kyle Davi, a freshman in the College of Communication, said he looks forward to the impact the brownstone project will have.

“National Grid did a wonderful job with 100 Bay State, so I’m excited to see what they do with the brownstone project,” he said. “There’s definitely a lot of room for improvement with the Brownstones. They are definitely not energy efficient whatsoever. I’m looking forward to more projects like this coming to all sides of campus just to make BU more energy efficient and sustainable.”